North Notts woman crashed into ditch after wine binge

Court Reporter

A North Notts woman who binged on wine before crashing into a ditch was nearly four times over the drink drive limit, a court heard.

Rebecca Watte’s Fiat 500 was found by police on Southgore Lane, in North Leverton, at 4pm, on February 18, after a family took her in when she was seen clinging to a lamp post.

“A witness said she was making weird noises,” said prosecutor Neil Hollett. “She looked confused and had her car keys in her hand.”

“She said: “I hate myself and I can’t believe what I have done.””

A test revealed she had 136 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Probation officer Tracey Jefferson said Watte had been under “an immense amount of pressure in relation to her elderly parents” who had made “unreasonable demands on her and her sister for many years.”

“On the day she committed this offence she drank several bottles of wine as an escape mechanism.

“She had no idea where she was going and had not eaten for two days before.

“She still can’t sleep at night thinking about how she could have killed herself or others.”

The court heard she is a binge drinker, rather than an alcoholic on a day-to-day basis, and she had sought help.

Harry Bevan, mitigating, said: “She had reached breaking point. She can’t provide an explanation as to why she drove.

“She only managed to drive a very short distance.”

Watte, 57, of Pippistrelle Close, North Leverton, admitted driving with excess alcohol when she appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Wednesday.

She was banned for 32 months, but was offered a drink drive rehab course which will reduce the disqualification by 244 days, if completed by January 2020.

She was given a 12 month community order, with ten days of a rehabilitation activity requirement with 50 hours of unpaid work.

She must pay an £85 government surcharge, but no costs were awarded.

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